11 Short Fictions is the sophomore album from Wilmington, North Carolina band, Kicking Bird. Filled with the same jangly hooks and interwoven vocals that the band is known for, the record also dives into a soundscape and lyrical content that is much darker and heavier. “I’ll talk when I’m ready,” sings Shaylah Paul on the blistering waltz "Too Much Talking," and it seems like the band is ready to talk. Subject matter like blood spots, black magick and boathouse rendezvous are layered with far out guitar licks and carnally violent drums.
Self produced by the band and mixed by Wolfgang Zimmerman (Band of Horses, Susto, Brave Baby), the album is a lush exploration into the balance between storytelling’s need for truth and lies. “Verdun,” a bouncy jaunt with nods to Belle & Sebastian and Thin Lizzy, is the love story of two privileged social elites torn apart by the mis-perceived glory of war and the social constraints of Victorian England. Later in the album is “Marada,” summoning an unadorned she-wolf running through moonlit fields with fuzzed out guitar and warbling falsetto that brings to mind early T. Rex.
The record drips with sexual tensions and starved affections. On 11 Short Fictions the band focuses their songwriting on quick power pop songs like “Cinnamon” and “What Did You Expect With Such A Beautiful Wife,” but also find comfortable landing in genres like country on “Good Company” or in the heavy 90s wash that fills “Good Lighting”.
Facts and false memories. Hypocrisies, admissions and denials. Stories. All of these elements wind together on 11 Short Fictions as Kicking Bird presents them with both an honest smile and a devilish grin.
Kicking Bird 11 Short Fictions is out now and available everywhere!
